Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a promise. He said that a Diwali gift in the form of a 'massive tax bonanza' was on its way for the common man and the millions of small businesses that power Asia's third largest economy. Wearing a bright saffron turban and addressing crowds of spectators from the ramparts of Delhi's Red Fort during Independence Day celebrations, Modi also made a rallying cry for self-reliance, urging small shop owners and businesses to put up boards of 'Swadeshi' or 'Made in India' outside their stores. We should become self-reliant - not out of desperation, but out of pride, he said. Modi has repeated these comments in at least two other public addresses this week. For many watching, this is clearly aimed at countering US President Donald Trump's brutal 50% tariff rate on India, which kicks in on 27 August. This will disrupt millions of livelihoods across the country's export-driven industries that supply everything from clothes to diamonds and shrimp to American consumers.